Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers demand action against SDM, Manohar Lal Khattar defends ‘strict’ action

NEW DELHI: A farmers' panchayat in Haryana issued an ultimatum to the state government on Monday to act against Karnal SDM Ayush Singh within seven days even as CM Manohar Lal Khattar put up another stout defence of the officer’s “strict” actions, saying the only thing that could be questioned about his conduct during Saturday’s farm protest was his “inappropriate choice of words”. “Protection of democracy is the work of the administration. They are assigned to do this job. We have heard and seen the audio and video (of the SDM instructing cops)...Rest, the DGP is probing the incident and the local administration, too, is doing the same. We shall act as and when the report comes to us,” Khattar told reporters in Chandigarh. At least 10 people were injured when police caned a group of farmers disrupting traffic on a highway in Haryana while proceeding to Karnal, where Khattar, state BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar and other party functionaries were attending an event. The farmers’ panchayat chaired by BKU (Charuni) national president Gurnam Singh Charuni at the Gharaunda grain market in Karnal demanded that Singh be suspended along with some other officials, including inspector Harjinder Singh, for allegedly targeting the protesters without provocation. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha made a similar demand. “We want FIRs to be registered against them. We also demand Rs 25 lakh in compensation and a government job for the kin of farmer Sushil Kajal, who died of injuries suffered in the lathicharge, and Rs 2 lakh to each injured farmer,” Charuni said. Farmers will indefinitely gherao the Karnal secretariat on September 7 if the government fails to act on the panchayat’s demand by September 6, he warned. While urging farmers to continue their protest against BJP-JJP leaders, Charuni also attacked Congress, saying the opposition party should have been out on the roads by now in protest against the Haryana government's “adamant attitude”. “Haryana farmers being attacked by cops and the civil administration cannot be tolerated anymore. The SKM either takes a strong decision or forgets Haryana farmers,” he said. In a statement later, SKM said, "It is utterly shocking that the CM is choosing to brush aside the barbaric and illegal instructions as only a wrong choice of words. It once again clearly reiterates what we have been saying that the Khattar government is at war with its own people.” A delegation led by Indian National Lok Dal state president Nafe Singh Rathee submitted a complaint to the Karnal SP, seeking FIRs against the SDM and other police officials who allegedly hit peaceful protesters "on their heads".

The Times of India

2021-08-31

India